Reminiscence
by leaflett
Summary: Souji/Naoto; oneshot & extra ― You know, it has never been the same without you.
1. Chapter 1

I come bearing another Souji/Naoto oneshot.. and this one is new if compared to Reasoning. I am quite happy, or sad rather, with how this turned out although I have to cut some parts so that this fic doesn't become too long... While in fact it is still under 4000 words. OTZ Forgive your fail writer, please! But anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: The Shin Megami Tensei series and all its related/unrelated spin-offs are Atlus'.

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Everytime Naoto opened her eyes in the morning, her eyes would immediately capture the sight of Souji looking at her own eyes, smiling lightly. It had been always like that for years. Naoto once had voiced her thoughts to Souji regarding his creepy so-called morning activity of watching Naoto sleeping. Yet Souji retaliated, saying that he was just happy to see Naoto still by his side, and that he was not simply dreaming. Blushing, Naoto lightly punched Souji's arm, telling him that he was just being silly. Souji only smiled, and commented that there could be possibly no better way to start his morning but to see Naoto's lovely blushing face. Then Souji would kiss Naoto's forehead softly, like what he would always do every single morning. Naoto was happy, happier than what she would imagine her days to be when she is together with Souji.

Then her thoughts would drift away, as she recollected her memories when she was twenty-two. She was wearing a frilly white dress, her hair was done in an extravagant way. Oh, and don't forget the make-up. Never once she thought that she would look and dress that way, clearly showing that Naoto is indeed a female even when looking at her from miles away. And there was Rise, standing in front of Naoto, with a satisfied in her eyes. The idol squealed, and said, "See, Naoto! I told you before, you will look magnificent today with my help!"

"I do not believe that 'magnificent' is a right word to say, Rise-san," Naoto sighed, her voice down. This was not her, or at least that was what Naoto repeatedly told herself. Naoto wondered, what kind of evil had possessed her thought when she agreed to Rise's idea that she should be wearing a dress for such a special occassion? Sure, it was her marriage day--Naoto still could feel the butterflies in her stomach at the mention of that word--but surely she was not required to dress extravagantly. Or to be exact, she did not think that a reception party was needed at all. A simple ceremony should suffice. Her groom, Souji, had agreed with Naoto that she wanted their marriage to be simple and uncomplicated. Or at least he seemed to. Yet his parents wanted the occassion to be celebrated thoroughly. Naoto turned into her Grampa, pleading him to take her no-party side, yet he supported Souji's parents instead. Then Naoto looked away to see Souji, her blue orbs captured a joyful smile in Souji's lips. It had been his doing, Naoto was sure of that.

And there, back in the dressing room where Naoto was still sitting nervously. The ceremony had been over, but the nervousness was still there. Naoto's hands were visibly shaking, more furious than what they had been before the ceremony. It was all the dress' fault, she thought.

"Oh, Naoto! I shouldn't be keeping you here! You should be going now, it's only ten minutes left!" Rise squeaked, pulling Naoto's hand. Naoto stood up and walked to the door awkwardly, she did not want to step on her own dress. Suddenly, the door to her dressing room was opened, and Naoto's eyes immediately caught the glimpse of a silver-haired man opening the door. Upon seeing Souji, suddenly all her worries subsided although the nervousness was still on the air. Souji himself only looked at Naoto, speechless and still. Naoto smiled to herself, perhaps it was a good idea to dress up sometimes.

Naoto then would giggle, the memories of her wedding day were still as clear as if she just experienced it several minutes ago. The glimpses of people visibly staring at her, the way Yousuke forgot his bestman speech halfway due to nervousness, and the way Souji whispered at her, telling her that she was strikingly beautiful that night. The happiness, and the nervousness as well, still felt real to her although it had been years. She was grateful that she went along with the idea of holding a reception party, for it gave her so much pleasant memories to remember. Even after years passed by.

Afterward, Naoto would get up from her bed, and took a quick bath. She would dress herself, and do the tasks that were given to her. Naoto would have to wake up their son and make sure that he was ready for school, while Souji would prepare the breakfast. Naoto was still embarassed to acknowledge the fact that most cooking in the house were done by Souji. She had barely any knowledge about cooking, and her cooking skills did not seem to improve after years had gone by. Or rather, as what Souji would always tell her, Naoto was not destined to be in the kitchen, cooking. Naoto frowned whenever Souji would tease her like that, but she could not deny that Souji was telling the truth. Although Naoto would like Souji to tone down his teasing on how Naoto was unable to cook, she was grateful that her husband was able to fill out the gap of what she could not do as a wife. Cooking, was one of them. She would smile whenever she saw Souji entering the kitchen, and she too, would be heading to their son's bedroom.

When Naoto entered their son's bedroom, her lips would immediately curve into a smile. Their only son Raidou, named after an accomplished detective from a movie in hopes for him to be a great person like the one bearing the name in the said movie. Their only son Raidou, who entered their lives after two years long of waiting. Naoto still remembered her frustation at her apparent inability to bear a child, especially after seeing how Chie or even Yukiko were already blessed with a child even after a few months after their marriage. It was true that she disliked the traditional role of women back then in her youth, on how women are treated as simply a tool to give birth. However, after getting married, her perspective on child-bearing changed. She wanted to build a perfect family with Souji. She wanted the Shirogane line to strive considering what Souji had sacrificed--what he had done to fulfil her wish to keep the Shirogane family alive.

Naoto once thought that the Shirogane name would die along with her, as there would be no more males to continue the name. Yet there was Souji, telling her that he would be the one entering Naoto's family. She could still vividly recall the serious look on Souji's face, showing his determination. Naoto would be lying if she said that she was fine with what Souji had told her. She was uneasy, she did not want Souji to go that far for her. In fact, Naoto had desired people calling her Mrs. Seta, after Souji's family name. Besides, Souji was also the lone child in his family. If he became a Shirogane, what would happen to Seta? Naoto told Souji this particular concern of her outright, at which Souji only smirked and said that his family will strive in another way. Naoto did not understand what Souji meant at that time, not until she saw what Souji meant with her own two eyes.

Everytime the sleuth looked at her son, Souji would always come first in her mind. Everything about Raidou always reminded her of Souji. His hair was perfectly silver, his eyes in the same tone as his hair. Raidou looked like a clone of Souji and Naoto could not help but wonder whether Souji was like Raidou during his childhood. At first, she could not understand why Raidou was like a duplicate of Souji. Not until she compared Raidou to Souji and Souji's father, then she was able to make the connection. Naoto was not the only one to wonder regarding Raidou's striking resemblance to his father. She would then remember when the investigation team, or rather ex-investigation team, visited her in the hospital days after she gave birth to Raidou.

She was still weak from childbirth by then. It was an arduous task, both pregnancy and birth-giving, and she found a whole new appreciation for mothers after going through the whole process. There were only a few visitors, her Grampa and Yakushiji, Souji's parents, and the Doujima. Naoto had predicted that her friends would come and visit her, yet none of them came. It was disheartening, although she fully realised that her friends had other things to tend. Souji also was always by her side, only leaving her when she was asleep to check on their newborn baby. She was glad to have Souji by his side, yet she could not deny that she wanted to share her joy after what seemed like decades of waiting with her closest friends. She did not ask for much, did she?

It was one fine sunny day, when Naoto was just regaining her strength after childbirth approximately two weeks ago. Souji was away, he was checking on their then-nameless son. Suddenly, the door to her room bursted open, and she could clearly hear Rise's high-pitched cry, "Naoto! I am so sorry that I am visiting you only now!"

From behind the door, Naoto could see the whole ex-investigation team storming inside. It was Rise first, who ran to her and hugged Naoto tightly. Then Naoto could see Kanji, followed by Yousuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Teddie. She could not help but to smile, she was happy seeing her best friends finally coming to see her.

"Maybe you should let her go? She's still weak, you know, from all those kind of things," Kanji said, directed to the idol who was still tightly hugging Naoto.

Rise seemed to suddenly came into realisation, and let go of her tight hug with a loud 'ah'. "I-I am sorry! It just that I really want to see you and your baby, but Senpai kept on telling us that.." the idol suddenly stopped, her hands covering her own mouth. Naoto's expression suddenly changed at the mention of her husband. What did Souji tell them? She was just about to ask when Rise let out a sigh, and continued, "See, you were really weak by then. I came too before, but you were sleeping... and you looked extremely exhausted. Senpai was worried about you and he limited the amount of visitors so that you won't over-exert yourself. But now you are better, so he told us to visit you since he said you really want to see us."

Naoto was relieved upon knowing the reason. It was just like Souji to worry over her, although she was sure that she could take all visitors who had come to visit her. "True, I want to meet all of you and share the joy I feel.. Thank you for visiting us."

"Aww, Nao-chan!" the bear suddenly said, "You don't need to thank us! We are friends!" He looked around, his blue eyes trying to capture a certain sight he had always wanted to see, but to no avail. "But where is the baby?"

Then there was a click and the door was opened again, revealing Souji and the baby. The attention was quickly diverted from Naoto to the baby. Naoto could hear that her friends were admiring her baby, and it made her proud somehow.

"Well, he does look like Souji a lot, eh? I guess Souji is really the dominant one," said Yousuke with a chuckle. He received glaring stare from both Souji and Naoto directly afterwards, in which Yousuke immediately attempted to divert the glare, "But he is not named yet? You should find a good name for him!"

And then the talk went along the path of Chie getting offended at what Yousuke said, as apparently they had a small argument over what name to give to their son. However, the argument ended abruptly as Souji threatened to call the security if Yousuke and Chie did not tone down their argument as it was disturbing Naoto and the baby. Yet Naoto knew that Yousuke and Chie were always like that even since high school. They would fight, and then made up like nothing had happened the next day. It was strangely refreshing for her to see her friends back like what they had always been.

The memories of that day was still clearly engraved in her mind, even after years. Naoto would always instantly recollect that particular memory from her mind when her hand smoothed Raidou silver hair in the morning as an attempt to wake her son. There were other memories too, but for some reason, that particular event always came first. Maybe that was because she was genuinely happy at that moment. Or maybe that was the time when she could feel entirely sure that she had become a mother after two years of waiting.

Then Raidou would instantly wake up, his sleepy eyes directly looking at Naoto. Raidou was similar to Souji not only in appearance, but also in attitude. He knew that it was time for him to wake up just by seeing Naoto's eyes, and he would quickly proceed to prepare for school without much protest. It gave Naoto time to go to the kitchen, where Souji would still be cooking. Naoto would help Souji with whatever she could do, and afterward the family would have a breakfast together. It was a short occassion, one in which they did everyday. But Naoto would still look forward for it, as she enjoyed every time she could spend with her family. Although she did not move around to do investigations as much as she had to before, she just wanted to spend more time with her family. Naoto was raised without her parents, and although she saw her Grampa and Yakushiji as parental figures, she could figure out that it was still different. She simply did not wish her son to experience the same parentless childhood like what she had experienced. And she was more than happy to know that Souji intended on doing exactly the same as her, as he was rather distant from his parents and he did not want his son to experience the same thing as him.

After Raidou had gone to school, it would be only Souji and Naoto left at home. There was no time for them to relax, though, as there would always be mountain of cases left for them to solve. The workload coming for them increased even more after Souji officially entered the Shirogane family, and it even increased after Naoto's Grampa passed away. She felt down during that time, she could barely hold herself together. Naoto had always been close to her Grampa, her Grampa was the perfect example of a detective she wanted to be. Naoto knew that she would break apart if it was not for her little family--Souji and Raidou--standing beside her, supporting her all the way. She realised that they were all she had left. She understood that they were, too, saddened whenever they saw her down due to her Grampa's death. Naoto was sad, devastated even, at the time of her Grampa's death. She also was worried about the continuation of the Shirogane family after her Grampa had passed away. Yet the cases were still coming, and it gave her hope. If she was still there, it was because of her family, and she was truly grateful for having them.

Her detective work was always draining, but she was glad that she had Souji around. Souji would always help her, finding out the clues and drawing conclusions together. He would always know when she was stuck at a case, and his out-of-the-box insight would always help her to find the light. Or at rare times when there was no cases to be solved at hand, she would find herself sitting beside him, her head laying on his shoulder. She would listen to him teasing her, she then would blush, and he would continue to tease her. And then Souji would tell Naoto that he loved her, and she would reciprocate with a kiss. Then she would be in his embrace, where she felt safe and happy.

At night, when Souji and Naoto had done working and after Raidou had finished his homework, the three of them would simply gather at the living room, talking about whatever thing they had experienced that day. The talk could be repetitive at times, but Naoto still could feel happiness surging in her heart whenever they talked. She was happy, happier than what she could ever ask for. She was grateful for everything, for Souji, for Raidou. It never came across her mind that a youth who had asked her for information one day at Junes would be her source of happiness for years coming by. That he would be everything to her, and that she knew that she was everything for him, too. And add their son in the mix after they had been blessed with him. Naoto wanted to feel this way forever, for she was extremely content with what she had, and she would ask for nothing more but to keep this happiness forever with the two most important men in his life.

But, alas, people do say that every story comes with an end.

There is Naoto, standing in front of a grave. She kneels, her hands softly touching the tombstone, her eyes are fixated on the writing there.

'Shirogane Souji

1995-2033'

Naoto inhales deeply, her eyes are still fixated on the tombstone. Her hands are visibly shaking. She inhales one more time, before saying, "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

She stops, and inhales more. It is indeed hard, no matter how much she has done this before. Naoto sighs, and continues, "I hope you are well there, Souji. I come here... bearing some news. I thought you would like to hear them.

"Do you know? Doujima-san has retired, and Chie-san takes his place. She is one of the few females in the top ranks, at least in the Inaba Police Department," Naoto says, chuckling weakly. She stops for a while, and continues, "And Nanako-chan is now the assistant manager in Junes. Well, you know that Yousuke-san is now the manager, yes? He says that she shows so much determination that he is considering her to be the next manager. His sons are more interested in music, and I heard they are preparing for an album for their band.

"Rise-san has stopped acting, and she is taking the tofu shop seriously. Kanji-san, too, is taking the Tatsumi Textiles further by introducing sewing classes. He seems to be determined to make his sewing classes well-known in Japan, as his brand of mascots are already well-known. And Yukiko-san is doing well, too, the Amagi Inn prospers in her hands. Teddie.. he is still working at Junes, and now it seems that he is up against Nanako-chan for the position as the next manager."

Naoto stops, again. The tremble in her voice becomes more obvious as she says further, "But you know all that already, I suppose? I believe I should get to the main point. Our son, our Raidou, is a fine man by now. He resembles you so much." _That sometimes it hurts_. By that point, almost all of Naoto's body is visibly shaking. Yet she presses on, "He is also a fine detective now. A worthy successor of the Shirogane line of detectives."

Naoto stops again briefly, and then she continues, "Do you know that he is getting married? His bride... is an European, with blue eyes and pale skin. He met her when he was abroad. A beautiful and smart girl, I am grateful for him to be able to marry someone like her.

"He sincerely wants you to be able to stand beside him in the ceremony, giving him support. But it is impossible, isn't it?" says Naoto, forcing out a smile. Her smile weakens, and she continues, "And now he will have his own family."

Naoto knows fully well the meaning behind her last words. After Raidou gets married, he will have to live his own life, with his own family. She has gone through that process herself, and she knows how she had wanted that moment to be spent just with her and Souji. Just the two of them.

"You know, it has never been the same without you."

Never once in her life Naoto has wanted her story to end right away, so that she could progress to her epilogue where she can stay happily ever after with Souji. The nights without Souji at her side, the mornings when she does not find Souji looking warmly into her eyes, the breakfasts and dinners when she has to rely on bought food, the afternoons when she has to work on her cases alone. The days without Souji beside her, embracing her and easing her worries and pains away. It has been too much for her, now that half of her has gone away. However, Naoto has promised herself that she will not cry...

_because he's watching over me._


	2. Extra: The End, The Beginning

First and foremost, I am extremely grateful for everyone who had reviewed and favourite this story. It makes me really happy, and I can't say thank you enough. 8DDD

As for now, I am working on other stories, mostly centering around Souji and Naoto. Although I am unsure whether I can pull those ideas nicely, I will post them when the opportunity arrives. I am also planning to post two more bathhouse prompts I've filled. I will definitely post them when I get the chance to use actual computer to use the internet, since for some reason it's impossible to post new stories using cell, although uploading the documents and updating stories are completely feasible. *sigh* And just for information, the title of the two stories are Cure for Two and For All He Knew, for any whom are interested.

And as for this extra, I am inspired to write this after an idea I had regarding Souji's death in the main part of the story. I feel like I need to explain his cause of death, although it might not be the main case here. OTZ

/end writer's rant

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The last time he spoke to her, he told her, "Everything will be alright."

The last time he spoke to him, he told him, "Take care of your mother."

The next time they heard about him, he was gone.

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Raidou loved his parents. He loved his caring and intelligent mother. He loved his strong and smart father. But what he loved most was how his parents loved one another dearly. He stole a peek to his father's study once, and there he saw his parents embracing one another. He giggled, he was simply happy to see his parents togethe, loving one another. It gave him warm feelings inside, made him feel secure. After all, he knew stories of parents getting divorced even at his young age of thirteen. The children of divorced parents were miserable, from what he knew. He did not want to be like them. He was happy to have perfect, loving parents. He wished these happy days could last forever.

However, it was said that everything has its end. Raidou still remembered what Uncle Tatsumi once told him, his parents actually, at the event of his daughter's death. _Happiness is like a train wreck--when it ends, it crash everything you have_. Raidou did not understand what he meant at that time, but he had a feeling that he would definitely hate it when it happened to him. After all, Uncle Tatsumi sounded bitter and hurt when he said those words. He looked weak, unlike the strong and tough image Raidou usually had about him. Raidou was only an eight-year-old at that time, but he could understand why. Uncle Tatsumi cared about his daughter a lot. When she passed away due to an illness, Uncle Tatsumi and Aunt Tatsumi blamed themselves for not being able to find a cure for her. It was sad. Raidou did not want the same to happen in his family.

Not until the news came.

The memories of that day were still clearly engraved in his mind. A man in white uniform came to their house, looking for his mother. Raidou did not know who that man was, but he had a feeling that the man was not going to tell his mother a good news. His expression was solemn and he smelled like disinfectant. It reminded Raidou of hospital, and Raidou did not like hospital since it was such a gloomy place.

The next thing he saw after that man had finished talking was his mother's horrified expression. She covered her mouth with her hands, and it was enough signal for Raidou to tell that things were indeed bad. He went out from his bedroom where he was hiding and peeking at them, reached for his mother, and placed his hand into her lap. She realised Raidou's presence almost immediately, and she held his hand. Yet it was different, for Raidou. His mother was not holding his hand the way she held it before--calm, protecting, strong. Her grip on his hand were weak, and her hand was as cold as ice. It was like she was trying to lean on something so desperately, and the only thing available was his hand. It was unlike the mother Raidou knew. She was different after listening to what that man had to say.

That man must be bad.

Raidou looked up at that man's direction, intensely staring at him. That man, he made Raidou's mother sad. Raidou wanted to hate him for that, but he could not. That man's expression was sad, too, and Raidou did not understand the reason. He wanted to ask his mother, who always knew every answer to every question. He was a big boy, he deserved to know what was happening. However, before Raidou could ask anything, he could feel his mother gently touching his head, telling him, _everything will be alright_. But Raidou did not believe her for the first time in his life. She was unsure when she said those words. It was different from her usual confident tone, it sounded more like a question to him. He wanted to press on and ask questions, but he backed down. He knew his mother was in no condition to answer his questions. All he knew was that his father would come home, comfort his mother, and things would go back like it had always been tomorrow. After all, he promised to go back home that night, and the day after tomorrow they were going to visit Inaba.

But he never came back.

The very next day, Raidou's mother went to hospital. Alone. Raidou wanted to accompany her, but she said that she wished to go alone. He understood, and stayed at home. However, when he saw her expression after she had arrived home, he wished that he had gone with her. His mother's expression was painful to see. She was sad, devastated, and empty in the same time. It gave Raidou goosebumps. He wanted to know why, yet in the same time he wished that he did not have to know anything. He looked at his mother's blue-gray orbs, and she seemed to understand what Raidou had wanted to know all along. _He is gone_, she said,_ gone to a place far, far away_. And Raidou knew better what she meant by those words. It reminded him of Kana, Uncle Tatsumi's late daughter. She, too, went to that far place and she was not going to come back. _Never_, Uncle Tatsumi said, and that word had a sad ring into it.

The following days went like torture for Raidou. He often saw his mother spacing out while sitting in the study, her eyes looking far away. She smiled whenever she saw Raidou, but he knew that her smile was empty. It was unlike the warm smile she had in her lips before that man in white uniform came. Her lips curved, but her eyes were not smiling. Raidou hated it. He wanted his old mother to come back. He wanted his father to return. He wanted everything to come back like it had always been. Yet deep down, he realised that what he hoped would not come true. His father had gone away to that far place; and like Kana, he would stay there, waiting for everyone else.

_He is reserving a place for everyone else there and he will be waiting for us_, Uncle Hanamura said when he visited Raidou and his mother. Somehow, what Uncle Hanamura said terrified him. When his father was still there, Raidou had once eavesdropped on his parents' conversation. He heard his mother telling his father that she would go anywhere he went. Raidou wondered, would his mother follow her promise to his father, and went to that far away place to be together with his father? Then he remembered the story of lovebirds his teacher once told him. _Those birds are born to be with each other. If one dies, its pair will follow_. And he remembered suddenly, didn't his father once said that he and his mother were like those birds? He did not want to lose his mother. He held his mother's hand tightly, not wanting to let her go. She seemed to understand the meaning behing Raidou's gesture, and hugged him tightly. _I will not go anywhere_, she assured him. It made him feel more secure, and he leaned closer towards his beloved mother.

The next day was a funeral. Raidou already knew whose funeral it was, although his mother tried to cover the whole fact. He was mature enough to realise what had happened. His father had passed away. The fact became even more obvious everytime he heard what people attending the funeral said. How his father was a great man when he was alive. How the train his father boarded on that fateful day crashed. No one was able to survive the catastrophe. Not even his father. It was painful to know the truth, but it was more painful to see his mother' expression. She was trying to hold back tears. Or possibly, all her tears were already dried up, seeing from her swollen red eyes. It was like she was thinking that everything was a bad dream, and only to be smacked by reality when she saw his tombstone. Raidou wanted to touch her, hold her hand, hug her, but he found himself unable to do them. His mother looked like a fragile glass, who would break away if touched. He did not want that.

If he could, Raidou wanted to cry, too. But he could not. He felt that he must try to stay strong, to ease his mother from whatever pain she might endure at that time. And foremost, he wanted to hate his father for the first time ever at that moment. He wanted to hate him from going away suddenly without any notice. He wanted to hate him for making his mother despair over the fact that she lost the man she loved most. He wanted to hate him for leaving him and his mother alone. He wanted to blame him for everything. Yet he could not. Raidou realised that the accident was not his father's fault. He did not believe that his father would want to leave them, either. He knew that his father loved his mother and himself more than anything else in the world. Still, he felt the need to blame everything to someone, for it made him easier to accept the painful truth. A lot easier, even. He did not know why.

At the night after the funeral, Raidou found himself unable to sleep. Before, he had entertained the thought that somehow his father would return, and everything that happened was a big lie. Yet after seeing and knowing everything, he could not even think of anything anymore. Once more, he wished that he did not have to know anything. He wished he could turn back time, and prevented his father from boarding on that train. However, his wishes made it even more painful for him to accept his father's death. There was so much things he could do to prevent it. It seemed so easy to prevent his father from going away. Thinking about it made his chest heavy. He wanted to cry, but he could not. He tried to, but not even a single tear could come out from his eyes. Maybe it was shock, he thought. A shock too great that prevented him from crying. Or it could be that he was crying in his sleep, as his pillows would always be wet every morning whenever he woke up.

Raidou sat up. He wanted to see his mother. He wanted to check whether she was alright or not. He had been listening to the sounds of someone crying every night, after all, even though he was too afraid to check. That night, Raidou gathered all his courage and went to his parents' bedroom, where he believed the sounds came from. His gray orbs instantly captured the image of his mother, her hands were holding a picture and fresh tears flowing from her beautiful blue-gray eyes. In an impulse, Raidou ran from his current position, his small hands around his mother's frail body. He still remembered what he said to her that day. _Don't cry_, he remembered, _I'll always be there for you. Father will always look over us from that place, he never really left us_. He did not know why those words came out from his mouth that day. They just did.

He promised to take care of her and he would not leave her, like what his father told him the last time he spoke to him. Then he saw his mother smiling, holding back her tears, and saying that she believed that his father was looking over them from the sky, and that he would be saddened to see her like this. She promised Raidou that she would still smile, for his and his father's sake. Raidou bit his lip when he heard his mother's promise, it was too heavy. But it was true, she kept her promise. Raidou never saw her mother crying anymore since that day, yet he thought that she was trying too hard that it made him felt guilty. She might had her warm smile back, but it was different. He knew. Half of his mother died away along with his father's death, and it was him who was clinging and keeping on the other half of her to stay alive. However, he realised that what was lost from her mother would not return; no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many old friends trying to return those part to her, no matter how long it had been.

And it had been a long time.

* * *

...the part of the lovebird is completely made up, and it is extremely filled with faulty information, I know. But nevertheless, I hope that this extra story will still be enjoyable!


End file.
